Declare Our Candidate Winner of Adamawa Election, PDP Tells INEC, Calls Police To Arrest REC

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has demanded that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, make the final call with regards to the Adamawa governorship election and immediately declare its candidate, Ahmadu Fintiri, the winner of the election.

The PDP stated this on Sunday through a statement issued by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, who insisted that the PDP won the election.

Recall the State Resident Electoral Commission, Hudu Yunusa had declared the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Aishatu Binani the winner of the election which was concluded on Saturday.

Although the role of collation of results was reserved for the collation officer based on extant laws and are usually appointed by the INEC, Yunusa made the declaration without announcing scores by each candidate from the votes cast.

INEC however distanced itself from the announcement and declared as null and void the announcement while suspending collation of results.

The electoral umpire also summoned the REC, collation officer and all parties to Abuja.

The PDP described the action of the REC as not only reckless but “criminal.”

It said the party’s candidate should be declared winner of the Adamawa State Governorship Election based on facts on ground and the already collated results.

The PDP said, “The PDP also demands for the immediate arrest and prosecution of the Adamawa State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mallam Hudu Yunusa Ari, for making such illegal declaration in criminal usurpation of the duties and powers of the Returning Officer, Prof Mohammed Mele, while collation was on-going.

“It is even more absurd that the Adamawa State REC did not only usurp the powers of the Returning Officer but attempted to declare a winner without figures in reckless violation of the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), the Electoral Act, 2022, INEC Guidelines as well as the sensibility of the people of Adamawa State.

“This reprehensible criminal conduct of the Adamawa State REC confirms the earlier alarm by the PDP which demanded for his immediate removal from Adamawa State following his alleged compromise by the APC and its candidate to manipulate the election in their favour notwithstanding the votes by the people of Adamawa State.

“Mallam Yunusa Ari’s action is subversive and calculated to cause crisis in Adamawa State, destabilize our democracy and peaceful co-existence as a nation,” the party added.

The PDP further demanded that, “We call on the Inspector General of Police to immediately arrest Mallam Yunusa Ari and make him face the full wrath of the law for his conduct.

“The PDP notes the pronouncement by INEC Headquarters that the action of Mallam Yunusa Ari is “null, void and of no effect.

“The PDP therefore demands that INEC Headquarters should immediately direct the Returning Officer to conclude collation, announce the results from the Polling Units and declare our candidate, Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri as winner, having scored the majority of lawful votes cast.

“From the results already collated across the 69 Polling Units where the supplementary elections held and which are on the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal, Governor Fintiri clearly won the election.

“Our Party therefore demands that INEC should without further delay announce the results as already collated from the Polling Units and declare Governor Fintiri as winner. Anything short of this will not be accepted by our Party and the people of Adamawa State.”